LABR T1 L5 Union Management Relations.docx

Union Management Relations
Outline:
- Sources of workplace conflict and cooperation
- Exit vs. Voice
- Collective bargaining
- Grievances and grievance handling
- Strikes
(WORK NOT DUE NOVEMEBER 27 , DUE NOVEMEBER 20 **) TH
Workplace Conflict
- Whether union or non union, experience conflict
- Much conflict is between individual employees, but we focus on employers and
unions
- Management and unions, as representatives of employers and workers
respectively, are tasked with managing workplace conflict
Sources of Workplace Conflict
- Underlying Sources
o Legal alienation: b/c individuals do not work for themselves, they do not
have legal ownership or control over means by which they do work
o Objective Interest Conflicts: interests of workers and their employers are
oppositional
o Nature of the Employment Relationship: is authoritarian, most ppl work
because they have to not want to
- Contextual Sources
o Broader social inequalities: disparities in wealth and income
o Labour market experience: unemployment, occupational hazards, stress
and workplace harassment
o Class antagonism, class resentment (to someone who does have all this
wealth)
Sources of workplace cooperation
- Although coercion plays an important role in labour relations, so does cooperation
- Workers generally believe in legitimacy of capitalism and in the right of
management to exercise authority
- Some workers enjoy their jobs and are content with their economic position
- Fear of management or job loss may also foster a degree of workplace
cooperation
Exit and voice (two mechanisms for dealing with workplace conflict)
- Exit
o You quit or
o Workplace sabotage: instead of just quitting they fuck up workplace (i.e.
factory working puts a rat in can of peaches) o Ways of dealing with conflict: Quit, Labour Board Complaint,
Insubordination/Sabotage (can be done in union or non-union)  all result
in not working there anymore
- Voice
o Stand up for yourself, actively fight back while still working there
o Ways of dealing with conflict: Collective bargaining, grievance procedure,
strike (can be done only in unionized workplace)  all result in no loss of
job
Collective Bargaining
- Mechanism by which the union and management establish the terms and
conditions of work
- Both parties are legally required to bargain
- Collective bargaining results in a collective agreement – a legally enforceable
contract which outlines the terms and conditions of work
- If the parties cannot come to an agreement, the union can exercise its right to
strike, where available, and management can exercise its right to lockout, where
available
o Both to apply pressure and make the other accept contract
*See slides online for basic collective bargaining process*
Previous agreement slated to expire  notice to bargain  exchange proposals 
bargaining
 Ratification vote  new agreement
OR
 Conciliation, mediation  legal strike/lockout position  strike or lockout 
ratification vote  new agreement
* after bargaining, each can go to ratification vote then new agreement if they come to
agreement *
Collective Agreement
- Collective agreement is legally enforceable and generally contain following
provisions
o Rights and obligations of employer and employees
o Union security clause
o Wages scales, hours of work, overtime, vacation entitlements, paid and
unpaid leave (at the end of th